So now what?

[Zamboni]

It was asked a couple weeks ago after a loss. 

 

So, why not ask again?

 

 

[Pimlach]

Keep playing.  Every game is a new game.  

[pi2000]

Start the search for a new bench boss and put Granato on notice.   He did sound a bit defensive in his post game presser so he must be feeling the heat.

[Gatorman0519]

What I do by every Christmas... start studying the draft prospects for 2024. lol

[PerreaultForever]

I'm not sure I care.

1 hour ago, Gatorman0519 said:

What I do by every Christmas... start studying the draft prospects for 2024. lol

I'm definitely done doing this. I mean what difference does it make. 8 first rounders in the line up from the last few years, you think 9 will make a difference? I don't give a flying F who they draft next year. 

[RochesterExpat]

3 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I'm not sure I care.

I’m starting to feel this way. I’m tired of it all.

[Captain Caveman]

Last night was dreadful

I'm trying to remind myself though that we're basically playing .500 hockey without our best player, and with several other key guys not playing like themselves or possibly playing injured.  If we can stay at .500 until Tage gets back, if we can see guys like like Kulich or Benson (and eventually Quinn) show they are ready to contribute this season doesn't have to be lost.

Before last night I was thinking that Levi should be playing in Rochester, but now I'm not sure Comrie is a better option (definitely not fair to judge either though on last night's abysmal team performance.)

[HOUSE]

We do the hokie pokie and we turn ourselves around....

That's what's its all about....

[North Buffalo]

5 hours ago, Gatorman0519 said:

What I do by every Christmas... start studying the draft prospects for 2024. lol

Any guys in the draft with a nasty streak... screw guys having fun,I want some bullies... guys that were abused growing up that have a need to take it out on someone else....

Edited November 26, 2023 by North Buffalo

[Cascade Youth]

It’s time to instill accountability and raised expectations.

[Cityo'Rasmii]

3 hours ago, Cascade Youth said:

It’s time to instill accountability and raised expectations.

will require coaching...🤭

[Night Train]

In our zeal to ID whipping boys by the day, maybe the coaches need to be looked at.

The same mistakes as last season. Can't fire the entire roster. They need a kick in the backside and play gutless without any sense of urgency many nights. 

[Flashsabre]

The NHL this year is about 4 teams with amazing records and everyone else where you have no idea from game to game how they are going to play.

[Pimlach]

10 hours ago, pi2000 said:

Start the search for a new bench boss and put Granato on notice.   He did sound a bit defensive in his post game presser so he must be feeling the heat.

What about the bench bosses that are already employed but coming available?   Can’t talk to them yet.  It’s too early to do a thorough evaluation of all possible coach candidates.   A thorough search is going to take time and maybe go into the off season.  

In the normal world, Adams should be just as worried as Granato.  He put this roster together and he said that this roster is an attempt to get us to the playoffs - our first goal of the season.  

Adam’s needs to get on the phone and start looking for ways to improve this team right now, his top prospects are not ready.  

No coach could win under these circumstances with yesterday’s lineup.  Did you see the Rosen-Jost-Olofsson line give up two goals in their first two shifts.  I am sure you did because you cited Clifton’s -2; but he and his partner were  pretty much playing alone out there.   

Who makes these decisions?   It would not be flashy, but Rousek might have been a better choice to replace Girgensons.  They play the same game and Rousek held up pretty good defensively in his last call up.  Biro would have been a better choice than Kulich, he has played a few games and he potted 2 goals.  The two kids were totally lost, Rosen did not even want to possess the puck, the opposite of his game in Rochester.  I am sure they will show more at some point but playing them both in a depleted roster was stupid.  Who came up with that?  Adams or Granato or both?   

 Granato’s days are already numbered.  Adam’s needs to fix something, that is his job.  

[Mr Mellow]

7 hours ago, North Buffalo said:

Any guys in the draft with a nasty streak... screw guys having fun,I want some bullies... guys that were abused growing up that have a need to take it out on someone else....

True this... I'm tired of opponents screwing with our goalies with no retribution. I'm tired of our forwards not sniffing their goal when there is a stoppage. Where is the SANDPAPER! Where is the GRIT! These kids better start growing up and/or KA better find some truly NASTY vets. I've been watching on DirecTV (lived all over the US) since the 1970's and this is getting old.

[mjd1001]

So now what?  The things that no-one wants to hear. Patience and waiting and hope by the time that is done they aren't too far out of the picture.

-Muddle through till Thompson gets back and plays close to 100%

-Cozens and Tuch have obviously been playing hurt at least part of the time, get them back to 100%

-Samuelsson, hopefully you can get him back soon and to 100%

Figure out the lineup, make a decision to play your best 12 forwards and best 6 d-men, stop going 11/7....and pick 2 goalies and go with them.

Edited November 26, 2023 by mjd1001

[Thorner]

13 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I'm not sure I care.

I'm definitely done doing this. I mean what difference does it make. 8 first rounders in the line up from the last few years, you think 9 will make a difference? I don't give a flying F who they draft next year. 

They should absolutely, positively trade the pick. Too much of a good thing to a certainty 

10 hours ago, RochesterExpat said:

I’m starting to feel this way. I’m tired of it all.

This is what I was kinda getting at in the “lowest point” thread. Regardless of how we define it for the team, it certainly seems so for the fans. We are starved to simply make the playoffs 

Edited November 26, 2023 by Thorny

[Thorner]

9 hours ago, Captain Caveman said:

Last night was dreadful

I'm trying to remind myself though that we're basically playing .500 hockey without our best player, and with several other key guys not playing like themselves or possibly playing injured.  If we can stay at .500 until Tage gets back, if we can see guys like like Kulich or Benson (and eventually Quinn) show they are ready to contribute this season doesn't have to be lost.

Before last night I was thinking that Levi should be playing in Rochester, but now I'm not sure Comrie is a better option (definitely not fair to judge either though on last night's abysmal team performance.)

It’s true, even people giving Levi the benefit of the doubt suggested a solid #2 was very important. We find ourselves in that predicted spot, missing a solid second guy, even if the first guy ended up being someone else (6k instead of Levi)

4 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

The NHL this year is about 4 teams with amazing records and everyone else where you have no idea from game to game how they are going to play.

“Who was even available?!”

“What good teams even were there?!!” 

😂

[PerreaultForever]

1 minute ago, Thorny said:

It’s true, even people giving Levi the benefit of the doubt suggested a solid #2 was very important. We find ourselves in that predicted spot, missing a solid second guy, even if the first guy ended up being someone else (6k instead of Levi)

They have not had a decent goalie since Ullmark left and they have botched or passed on any opportunity to solve that.

I mean come on, the team was celebrating Craig Anderson as if it was some sort of big deal. I got nothing against him and he even seems like a nice guy, but he was a well past his prime has been whose best days were over a decade earlier. He'd been bounced around and waived by others if I remember correctly. Wasn't he 4th string in Washington? Anyway, they signed him and then re-signed him as if it was an accomplishment. It's just absurd how they've mishandled the singularly most important position on the roster.

[Dr. Who]

1 hour ago, Mr Mellow said:

True this... I'm tired of opponents screwing with our goalies with no retribution. I'm tired of our forwards not sniffing their goal when there is a stoppage. Where is the SANDPAPER! Where is the GRIT! These kids better start growing up and/or KA better find some truly NASTY vets. I've been watching on DirecTV (lived all over the US) since the 1970's and this is getting old.

That's not very mellow.

[Marvin]

As an overall change, GMKA needs to recognise that he has drafted too many of the same type of player and that throwing said players to the wolves can be a painful process.  He also needs to recognize that most of the youngsters are not NHL-ready.  Most importantly, he needs to make hockey moves with his prize picks to acquire players with different skill sets and temperaments.  Whatever their flaws be, Stillman, Clifton, Greenway, and E. Johnson were moves in the right direction, but he needs to make more changes with the NHL roster and with the development pipeline to balance them out.

[PerreaultForever]

26 minutes ago, Marvin said:

As an overall change, GMKA needs to recognise that he has drafted too many of the same type of player 

I have had the thought for some time that the philosophy has been "I have all this draft capital so we will increase our odds and if we draft 3-4 of these guys we are almost guaranteed one home run". In any event there are too many the same and even if a few of these guys turn out okay the same holes will still be there on the roster. 

[Ducky]

Two cents worth from an unbiased observer...I've been a Jets fan since the WHA so I know what it is like when your (talented) team isn't performing.

The GM needs to get a starting goalie and send Levi down to the minors where he can work on his game and eventually start stealing games before he is brought up again. He needs to go down now. Comrie is the highest paid goalie at 1.8m so not sure what was expected by the GM at that position?

Adams should get Saros or Gibson or Askorov or someone comparable immediately ... there is still 3/4 of the season to go. Gibson would be my first choice espeially when you look at when his current deal ends. If you make the playoffs, who knows how far you go? Give them a slight over pay. You guys have some young talented players in the organization, give them something they can't refuse and get a bona fide starter while Levi gets ready for the bigs. Comrie/UPL are fine as a backup for now...nothing more. One of them goes back to the Ducks in a Gibson trade? 

Not addressing the goalie situation in the off season and hoping Levi (or UPL/Comrie) would immediately become a starter was asinine and worthy of a firing in my opinion. I can't stress enough that Levi needs to be sent down and work on his game and get more used to the pro game.

You need a good RHD too but so do a LOT of teams. I think D is the hardest position to improve on regarding trades. There's more than enough to fill the left side but a good RHD should be 2nd on the to do list right after a starter.

The bottom six needs to be upgraded (with vets) and when the newbies start pushing their way onto the team in the future, some of the lesser talent will be in the press box/traded/moved down the lineup and that builds depth. You've got to be able to handle an injury or two and rely on your depth. There is capspace so this summer the bottom six needs to be fixed.

I'd leave the coaching staff up to the new GM because I don't think the current one is doing his job well enough. With a starting goalie, this team makes the playoffs and they need to start making the playoffs.

Good luck for the rest of the season guys!

 

[GASabresIUFAN]

First things first; Granato and Adams aren’t getting fired.  They were recently extended and TP isn’t eating those deals.  Assistant coaches may get replaced, but Granato is staying. Sorry.  

TP, KA and DG have two built in excuses for continued failure and they are the Sabres are the youngest team in the NHL and injuries to key players.  

To fix this mess, KA has to get off his hands and start being more aggressive with player acquisition.  Since he traded out the old core, the players he has added are Pilut, Clague, Sheahan, Greenway, Stillman, Anderson, Comrie, Lyubuskin, Cilfton, and E Johnson.  These are all depth or worse players.  Not exactly a list to help the team take a major step forward.

 

Edited November 27, 2023 by GASabresIUFAN

[Marvin]

6 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

First things first; Granato and Adams aren’t getting fired.  They were recently extended and TP isn’t eating those deals.  Assist coaches may get replaced, but Granato is staying. Sorry.  

TP, KA and DG have two built in excuses for continued failure and they are the Sabres are the youngest team in the NHL and injuries to key players.  

To fix this mess, KA has to get off his hands and start being more aggressive with player acquisition.  Since he traded out the old core, the players he has added are Anderson, Comrie, Dell, Lyubuskin, Cilfton, and E Johnson.  These are all depth or worse players.  Not exactly a list to help the team take a major step forward..

 

Even higher quality depth players would have been welcome.  Just enough veterans to keep the kids in Rochester when the inevitable injuries hit.  Of course, I said that last season.